2022年11月15日 VOA慢速英语：以色列科学家为野生作物建立基因库

 

Could the key to securing the world's food supply for the future be hidden in the DNA of wild crops?
确保未来世界粮食供应的关键是否隐藏在野生作物的DNA中？
 
Scientists in Israel are creating a gene bank from the seeds of local wild crops. Some of these crops have survived for thousands of years since the birth of agriculture. The seeds may help farmers deal with a severe climate in the coming years.
以色列的科学家正在利用当地野生作物的种子创建一个基因库。自农业诞生以来，其中一些作物已经存活了数千年。这些种子可能会帮助农民应对未来几年的恶劣气候。
 
Alon Singer, a plant expert, recently collected seeds from several plants discovered near a new building project.
植物专家阿隆·辛格 (Alon Singer) 最近从一个新建筑项目附近发现的几种植物中收集了种子。
 
The seeds, including different kinds of water mint, will be frozen and stored at a gene bank of the Volcani Institute. It is the national agricultural research and development center in Israel.
种子，包括不同种类的水薄荷，将被冷冻并储存在火山研究所的基因库中。它是以色列的国家农业研发中心。
 
Singer and several other people are now exploring the country in search of wheat, barley and other wild crops. The goal is to save and study their genetic makeup before the crops are lost to growing deserts and more buildings.
辛格和其他几个人现在正在探索这个国家，寻找小麦、大麦和其他野生作物。目标是在农作物被沙漠和更多建筑物淹没之前保存和研究它们的基因构成。
 
Singer said, "The plants here are very unique. They are the ancestors of many of the cultivated plants used today."
辛格说：“这里的植物非常独特。它们是今天使用的许多栽培植物的祖先。”
 
Information from the wild crops could be used to genetically modify farmed crops so they can better deal with disease or lack of water.
来自野生作物的信息可用于对农作物进行基因改造，使它们能够更好地应对疾病或缺水。
 
Tens of thousands of different kinds of seeds are stored in Israel's gene bank. It may be smaller than some collections elsewhere in the world but the gene pool here is one of a kind. The crops come from an area known as the birthplace of crop cultivation.
数以万计的不同种类的种子储存在以色列的基因库中。它可能比世界其他地方的一些收藏品要小，但这里的基因库是独一无二的。这些农作物来自一个被称为农作物种植发源地的地区。
 
"This is where agriculture started about 10,000 years ago," said Einav Mayzlish-Gati, director of the gene bank. "Species that were domesticated here are still in the wild adapting along the years to the changes in the environment."
“这是大约 10,000 年前农业开始的地方，”基因库主任 Einav Mayzlish-Gati 说。“这里驯化的物种仍在野外，多年来一直在适应环境的变化。”
 
The research has already brought good results. For example, scientists have engineered different kinds of wheat with a very short life. It may not be able to compete today, but it could be helpful in a hotter climate with reduced growing seasons.
研究已经取得了很好的效果。例如，科学家们设计了不同种类的寿命很短的小麦。它可能无法在今天竞争，但在气候变热且生长季节减少的情况下可能会有所帮助。
 
The World Bank warns that climate change will likely harm worldwide agriculture. Harmful effects, it says, are already being felt with hotter temperatures, more frequent extreme weather events, and invasive crops and pests.
世界银行警告说，气候变化可能会损害全球农业。它说，有害影响已经体现在更热的温度、更频繁的极端天气事件以及入侵的农作物和害虫中。